Naturally
by anchora
Summary: / yuaki / They've never met, but are one in the same — six teens, one summer, and one chance to get it right.
1. Sparklers

**Naturally**

_Because every summer has a story._

i heart the sun

* * *

disclaimer—**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is not mine.**

notes—**Hi ^-^ Kristy here, and this time with (gasp) a YGO fanfic! :O Haha, I'm taking a little break from my Naruto stuff, trying something new ^-^ Soooo...yeah.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Akiza Izinski rolled her eyes like it was second nature. She slammed her locker door, wishing the noise would last longer as to drown out the constant chatter of the girls near her.

"Can you believe it?"

"I know! Last day of school, I'm so happy!"

"Finally! No more homework, no more teachers! I can't wait to get tan and wear my new bikini!"

What_ever. _

Okay, so maybe she was biased because her mom and dad didn't usually let her do things like walk around in a bikini and get tan down at the beach or party or meet boys or have fun. It wasn't their fault, though. Her dad was a senator, and it was important they keep a proper family image, or else it could negatively impact her father's career.

That was why Akiza was almost virtually invisible to the naked eye. She might have been the daughter of one of the most well-known men in New Domino, but she made a point of never doing anything. All she did was keep her grades up, make sure her uniform was clean, and keep her eyebrows perfectly groomed.

That last one was top priority. The last thing she needed was scruffy eyebrows that would undoubtedly shame her family.

Akiza's plain gray Jansport backpack was now crammed with thick books from her classes, her binder, notebooks and the contents of her now empty locker. She lifted it with difficulty, slinging it over her shoulder with a grunt.

Thank God it was the last day of school.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE **

_Sparklers_

* * *

**We're gonna miss you, New Domino Knights!**

**For many of you, this is just another last day of school, but for our senior class, this is the last day of high school, ever! **

**To thank you, and send you off with a bang, there will be a graduation celebration tomorrow night at 6 p.m.!**

**Here's to your future!**

* * *

_Stupid. _As if Akiza would ever have the desire to attend such an event. Something like that would definitely involve the asking out of others, and graduation was yesterday. The only reason the entire senior class even went back to school was to get all of their stuff out of P.E. and hall lockers, drop off books and collect final grade reports.

She lumbered over to third period science, flopping down unenthusiastically in her desk chair thing. The teacher told the students to be quiet, and when they didn't she ignored them and just sat back down at her desk. Internally, Akiza debated whether or not she should just leave school right now and sleep the rest of the day.

She chose whether.

The redhead pulled her stupidnastyuglylame-asshuge science textbook, threw it down on her desk, and walked out of class like it was nothing.

So far, the best part of her day had beeen that moment in the parking lot when she'd set eyes on her cherry red Kawasaki 250 Ninja. She'd spent months working her butt off in sophomore year saving money for it. Her dad had offered to buy it for her multiple times, but Akiza'd refused, wanting the satisfaction of truly calling the bike _hers. _

If her dad bought it, then technically it would be her bike that had been bought with her dad's money. However, this bike was bought with Akiza Izinski's money, and therefore one hundred percent Akiza Izinski's.

She straddled the bike, wrapping her hand around the ignition and turning it, waiting for that lovely sound of—

Not the bike starting, apparently.

She kept turning the black rubber handle, but the engine wouldn't turn. It kept sputtering and dying, not showing any sign of getting into motion soon.

_At least no one's around, _thought Akiza. _Or else I would've felt like an idiot._

By the fourth try, the brown eyed girl was getting pissed. She delivered a swift kick to the bike, losing her balance when her foot connected with front tire. A strong hand gripped her arm, preventing Akiza from making contact with the asphalt. It steadied her, and Akiza heard a gentle voice.

"Do you need some help?"

Standing behind Akiza was a very cute blue haired boy. He was a littler taller than she was, with long-ish blue hair and happy blue eyes. He wore a blue T-shirt, a yellow and white jacket with the sleeves rolled up, and jeans.

_Time to feel like an idiot._

"Um-um..." Akiza stuttered. She looked away, her pride swelling a little in her chest. That was one thing; Akiza had some kind of pride. It sort of prevented her from doing a lot of things, like asking for help. "...Yes?"

The boy chuckled, letting go of Akiza's arms and walking over to the motorcycle. He ran his hand over the smooth finish, looking at it admiringly. He checked the tires, prodding them, then his hand traveled up and a little to the left, where the engine was.

He didn't take the Kawasaki apart or anything, just peeked at the thing behind the body of the bike, shrugged and looked at the speedometer and such. A look of understanding passed across his gentle face and he smiled, putting his hand on the ignition and turning it.

_**Rrrrrrrrrrrr**_—

"There you go." he said, looking over to Akiza and smiling.

_You've got to be kidding._

"Wow. Thank you!" replied the burgundy haired girl. She smiled back, almost throwing her arms around him. She didn't though, because that wasn't something Akiza Izinski did.

The teen waved his hand. "Don't worry. It just takes a few tries. Have you had it for a while?"

Akiza nodded. "Two years in July. I-I bought it myself." she blushed a little, holding her hands behind her back.

"I see. That's very impressive, a pretty girl like you buying something like a Kawasaki Ninja? I was thinking something more along the lines of a convertible. Uh, no offense."

"Don't worry. But yeah, I've always been a bike girl for some reason." the redhead shrugged.

"That's cool. Are you ditching, or...something? Because it's," he checked his watch. "fourth period."

Akiza nodded again. "Yeah." she said. "I mean, why come back and endure these shitty classes when we technically graduated already?" she started to get back on the bike, the engine humming.

"What about you?"

"Same." the bluenette said. "I just left my books." he noticed Akiza getting on her Ninja. "Oh...are you leaving?" he looked crestfallen for a millisecond.

"Yeah. I need to catch up on a hundred eighty days of sleep, might as well start now." she laughed a little, revving the engine. "Oh, I'm...I'm Akiza, by the way."

"Bruno."

"I'll see you around!" Akiza called, riding away and waving at Bruno.

* * *

**.**

* * *

At least she had the house to herself for a while. Akiza's parents had left for some kind of important political meeting somewhere in a place not where she was currently living for three whole weeks. She didn't mind one bit, since this was much of her childhood in a nutshell.

But, it would have been nice to have them around the whole summer. Akiza knew this wasn't the only trip, since her father's job as Senator was demanding and there was little stability sometimes, but they just never felt like a family. It was always someone here someone there and no one together.

Soon as she tumbled through the door of her room, Akiza collapsed on her bed. She exhaled, feeling herself sinking into the mattress. After a few seconds of just laying there, the rehead got up, walked over to her dresser, and pulled out some clothes. She changed into a loose gray shirt printed with a large black bow that hung off her right shoulder and a pair of black spandex. Whatever, she was hanging around her house, it wasn't like it mattered whether or not she wore clothes at all.

Ew. Let's not do that.

She heard the distant chime from the doorbell downstairs.

Akiza bounced down the dark wooden stairs, and skidded across the floor in her fuzzy socks. She didn't see anything behind the frosted glass part of the door, but opened it anyway. Sitting on the welcome mat was a plain brown package tied with red string. The teen picked it up, undid the string, and saw sparks.

* * *

**.**

* * *

Yusei sped past tons of shops and businesses on his bright red Yamaha. He stopped being able to distinguish them at the last green light, and now only saw a blur.

_I need to get outta here. _he thought. _This isn't looking good._

The black haired teen was pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden honking noise. He looked up suddenly, squeezing the brakes and lurching forward with the violent stop. He'd just prevented himself from crashing into a semi, and the guy who'd honked in the lane beside him was looking at Yusei like he was an idiot.

His window rolled down, and the guy poked his head out.

"Get your head out of your ASS! Damn Yusei, one of these days you're gonna cause an accident." the man's bright shock of orange hair was held back by a thick blue headband, printed with the logo of a pizza place.

"Why are you over here, Crow?" Yusei asked, over the pulsating music coming from his friend's stereo.

"Isn't it obvious? Making a delivery to the other side of town."

The traffic light above them turned green, and both boys started their vehicles again, forking into different directions.

Soon, Yusei was near the docks and fish-processing places. Crates were stacked in high pillars in alleys behind shops and right up next to the sea. The raven turned off his bike, which he called the Yusei Go, and walked it behind some especially large crate stacks, leaning it against a wall as he crouched down low. He hoped his spiky hair wouldn't peek above the boxes and be a giveaway.

His heart punded in his chest as he crossed his fingers in hopes they couldn't find him. Yusei smoothed down his hair, although it sprang up up immediately.

A white something whizzed past the crates. The teen froze, holding his breath and even curling his toes for fear he would be seen.

"Where is he?" he heard a voice say. The supposed vehicle screeched on the docks, heading back toward Yusei. It too turned off, and the shuffling of clothes signaled the rider had dismounted. What sounded like boots clicked on the stones, coming closer and closer to Yusei.

Yusei's blue eyes widened like plates, and he was almost sure the person approaching him could hear his thundering heart.

_Please don't see me, please don't see me, please don't see me_—

"Damn, he's not around here." the voice was deep, with a noticeable accent—Australian, maybe? It came from high above Yusei, which meant the man was tall, very tall. The man grunted, swiftly turning around and walking away.

"Yes," Yusei said, a little too loudly.

Suddenly, the man turned around, a devious smile spreading across his face as he strode over to the crates. With ease, he lifted one that blocked Yusei's head, setting it down on the ground and smirking at the discovered raven.

His hair was a very pale blonde, with several sections that spiked near the top of his head, and two longer sections in front of his ears. Purple, angular eyes were set underneath his bangs, setting a long, thin nose and a smirking mouth. He was indeed tall, like Yusei had concluded. The man wore a white jacket, white shirt, white pants and gray boots. How he ever managed to keep an outfit like that clean was unknown.

"Found you, ankle-biter."

"Jack," Yusei spat. He hated losing to anyone, even one of his best friends. He crossed his arms indignantly in front of his chest, pouting comically. "How'd you know?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't see any other black crabs running around here." He referred to Yusei's black hair, streaked with yellow. It stuck up on top, in large spikes. His bangs were thick, shading his dark blue eyes and setting off his tan skin. Yusei's face was almost always smudged with something along the lines of dirt, being a mechanic in his spare time.

"Whatever." Their game of city-wide, motorcycle hide and seek had come to an end, with Jack being the victor and Yusei now owing him a chore-free two weeks. The two men mounted their bikes, and drove back to the other side of town where they lived.

* * *

**.**

* * *

Crow was a coffee guy. He drank the stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was kind of amazing he still had all his teeth, and that they stayed white. The breath thing was an issue sometimes, but being a gum addict helped too, especially spearmint. Not wintermint though, 'cause that was pretty freaking gross. Fruit was kind of stupid, and it made his fillings hurt (at least he only had two).

When he walked into Starbucks, it was like being home. At least, it was much better than his stupid basement of an apartment that he shared with two other guys, only one of whom he liked. The sound of percolation, keyboards being clicked on, and chatter filled the air, along with the one and only smell of coffee.

He almost felt like stretching out his arms and taking a deep breath, but he didn't want people staring. It was bad enough that stupid Jack had drawn all over his face with a ridiculously bright yellow Sharpie, and the jacket he wore as a pizza delivery guy was bright green. And not even a cool, dark green, more like a snot or biohazard green.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't the most attractive guy, whatever. He wasn't ugly, but it was hard to look like a model with bright orange hair that stuck straight up no matter how much gel he used, earrings (he lost a bet), and the stupid Sharpie markings. Crow really liked his eyes though, which was pretty girly, but they were a nice shade of gray, bright and clear.

With as much swag as he could muster wearing a jacket that said Fat Boy's Pizzeria, Crow walked over to the order counter.

"Good morning, what would you like?" asked the girl behind the counter, small and perky. She smiled at him cheerily, her brown ponytail bouncing under her dark green visor.

"Uh, yeah." Crow squinted at her name tag. "Taylor? Can I get an Americano, quad shot?" he'd already pulled out a five, setting it down on the counter and sliding it towards Taylor.

"That will be six-fifty."

"Wh-what?!" sputtered the orange haired teen. He shoved a hand into the pocket of his jeans, praying he had a few quarters. He shouldn't have had to though, his Americano had been four eighty-six since he starting getting one every day when he turned sixteen.

Taylor nodded. "I'm afraid shots now cost an extra fifty cents, instead of being free. We've been really slow lately, so this is an economic thing. Sorry about that."

Sorry she was. The only thing Crow had managed to dig out of his pockets was a crumpled Dairy Queen coupon for a free quarter pounder with the purchase of fries. He sighed sadly, breaking his three year streak as he said 'never mind' and walked out.

Now he needed to go home, to more work that stupid Jack hadn't done.

He needed a vacation.

* * *

**.**

* * *

The only things on TV today were cooking shows and Ancient Aliens. Jack chose Ancient Aliens.

He sank deeper into the couch, taking the green Gatorade bottle and squirting some water into his mouth. Today was a lazy day for him, you know, once he'd found Yusei hiding behind some boxes of dead fish.

Actually, now that the blonde thought about it, every day was a lazy day for him. It wasn't like he actually had a job or anything, which was fine by him. Yusei and Crow sometimes got on him about it, saying they needed some extra money, bills were going up by the second, that if they didn't start paying their actual mortgage amount every month they'd be evicted. As if. Zora, the landlord, treated Yusei like a (grand) son and would never do that to him. If anything, she'd kick Jack and Crow out before she'd kick him out.

Jack sighed, and popped a potato chip in his mouth. He really wished they had some of his favorite black coffe, but stupid Crow refused to pick any up after work today, saying it was 30 bucks a pop and that it would send them into (further) bankruptcy.

In reality, he was only half-listening to the show, only getting bits and pieces of the show's rambling about vampires and cowboys and their connection to aliens. Jack was actually falling asleep, tired after a long day of doing virtually nothing. Nearly closing his eyes, the blonde heard the upstairs bathroom door swing open, then shut, as Yusei stepped down to the living room.

He was dressed in a plain black tank top and gray sweats, rubbing his hair with a towel. Even when damp, it still stood straight spiked up.

Jack grunted 'no', then rolled over so his face was in the couch cushions. "Lem' sleep."

The small white towel was hurled at his head. Jack sprang up, zoning in on the raven heading to the kitchen.

"What was that about?!"

"Go check the mail." was all Yusei said in reply, opening the vaguely empty fridge and pulling out an Arizona.

"Fine." grumbled Jack, rolling off the couch and towards the front door. He opened it, and saw a small brown package tied with purple, blue, and orange striped string. The blonde picked it, looking for any kind of address, return or recieving.

"Hey Yusei, c'mere." said Jack. The raven raised an eyebrow, but walked over to the door anyways.

"What is it?" he asked.

Jack showed him the brown package, unmarked and tied with string. "This was in front of the door."

"You don't know who it's from?"

"Not a clue."

Yusei took the package, turning it over in his hands. "Maybe we shouldn't open it." he said. "Just in case."

"Whatever." Jack scoffed. He snatched the package back, then heard the sound of an engine. Crow.

He'd left his work car at the pizza place, instead coming home on his black motorcycle (with a sweet sidecar). The orange haired male dismounted, leaving the helmet on the handle and approaching his roommates.

"What's goin' on?" he asked, looking a little down.

"Jack found this package." Yusei told him. "We don't know who it's from."

Crow's gray eyes traveled over to the small prism. "Open it."

"I don't think we should—"

"Pussy." Jack cut the raven off. He tugged at the string a little. "I actually agree with Crow. We should open it."

Giving the bonds one final tug, the three teens heard a pop, then saw black.

* * *

**.**

* * *

Like any other child, Leo and Luna were always instructed to never talk to strangers, open the door for them, or even look at them.

However, Leo had the belief that a stranger was only a stanger unless you wanted him to become a friend. His parents weren't around anyway, so it wasn't like they were always telling to stop doing what he always did, which was talking.

He talked to everyone, always smiling and happy and cheerful and making terrible jokes. Everyone had the potential to become his friend. He left the door open, it was up to them to walk through it.

Luna, though, was a scaredy cat. She hid behind her brother, fearing everyone and everything. She was always the one telling him not to do things, not to talk to stangers, open the door for them, or even look at them.

So the day school was let out for the summer, the twins walked home, changed out of their uniforms, and sat in the living room to watch TV and eat, all by themselves.

Halfway through Pokemon the door bell rang. It could have been their parents, friends, the door man Johnny, or a stranger.

The green haired boy sprang up, and practically bounced to the door.

"Make sure to check that it isn't a stranger." Luna told him. "Remember what mom and dad always say."

"Yeah, yeah." Leo replied. He looked through the peephole, and saw no one. Instead there was a small brown package tied with green string sitting in the hall.

"Yes!" Leo cried. "My video games are here!"

He swung open the door ecstatically, grabbing the small brown box.

"What's that?" he heard Luna ask. She seemed to have walked up behind him while he was in the hall.

"My video games!" Leo grabbed hold of the string, and pulled it.

_pop._

* * *

notes—**How was it? I know this chapter is pretty long, but I needed to have all the signers in here for the story to progress the way I want it to ^-^ This is actually the first fic I ever wrote, except I did it in a notebook when I was eleven. You can guess how bad it was 0.0 However, this is muchmuch better! Please leave a review, and if you like Naruto, go and read The Perfect Princess, it's being updated today!**

**Love!**


	2. Tresses

**Naturally**

_Because every summer has a story._

i heart the sun

* * *

disclaimer—**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is not mine.**

notes—**I'm back! Thank you to DancingQueen21 and HappyFestus for your reviews, they were very much appreciated :) **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

In truth, after that weird little fireworks show that popped out of the box, Akiza just wanted to sleep.

At least she woke up in a bed.

.

.

.

A bed that wasn't hers!

The redhead leapt off the mattress, staring in disbelief at the room around her. It was large and open, with lacy-curtained windows that let in the golden glow of the sun. A slight breeze ruffled them, bringing in the faint smell of honeysuckle. Although the room itself was bare, and empty except for the bed she'd been lying in, Akiza felt a sense of calm.

She felt so comfortable, like she belonged somehow. Akiza flopped back down on the plush bed, her eyes closing again. She suddenly felt super alert, the hairs on the back of her neck tingling and her arm...burning?

Sure enough, the brown eyed girl looked at her right arm, a strange red mark now etched on it. It glowed, and burned, but not painfully, just noticeably. She wasn't quite sure what the mark was supposed to be of, it only looked like a claw-ish thing. Akiza disregarded it quickly, instead letting her eyes slip closed as she fell back to sleep.

**.**

The second time Akiza woke up after that weird little fireworks show that popped out of the box, her head throbbed. She touched the back of it, wincing at the tender spot near her crown. The teen yawned, rubbing her eyes. Bits of black dust smudged the tips of her fingers, perplexing Akiza. Now that she thought about it, the room smelled like honeysuckle and something burnt.

She ran her hand through her hair, and noticed it stopped much closer to the shoulders than before.

Oh, no.

For years, Akiza had tried so hard to grow her hair out. She got it trimmed, so no split ends could be visible, conditioned generously, and brushed it 50 times every night. She'd tried 100, but that was way too tacky for her taste. Now, however, her once long burgundy hair was now burnt and much shorter than before. Some front sections of hair had been pulled back into a half ponytail, and now were left loose and completely unscathed, reaching about elbow-length.

Akiza just sat on the bed, grasping what was left of her locks, and face set in an expression of horror. She would've cried, but the tears wouldn't come out.

The bedroom door opened.

"Ah! You're awake!" chimed a voice. It was cheery and perky, belonging to a girl with a bouncy brown ponytail and shiny brown eyes wearing maid attire. "I checked in on you earlier, but you were sleeping like a log."

"What happened to me!" cried Akiza. She turned to the girl, holding the small pieces of hair that had broken off in her hands. "My hair is gone!"

The girl's smile faded, and she regarded Akiza with what looked like pity.

"I'm so sorry about that, but it seems like we underestimated our little old pop of sparks. It might have come out a bit too strong for you."

"So you burned my hair off?!"

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Tresses_

* * *

Akiza started to cry. Not heart-wrenching sobs like in those stupid romance movies, more like silent tears of horror, like when you see a dog die that wasn't yours.

"Oh no, please don't cry. I-I can fix this, I promise." soothed the brunette.

"What, make me magically re-grow my hair!" the teen flopped back down on the bed, tears tracking down her cheeks into her ears.

The brown eyed girl sighed, approaching the older teen and helping her off the bed. Akiza shrugged her away, still miffed about her burned hair.

"Come on, I can fix this, really." the maid attempted to take Akiza out of the room, gently holding her arm.

Again, Akiza shrugged her off. She regarded the girl with angry eyes, and gritted her teeth. "Go away! Just let me pity myself in peace!"

"Please don't yell at me, Miss Akiza—"

The redhead interrupted her. "How do you know my name?"

The girl's eyes darted around the room, unsure of how to respond. She couldn't tell her what was going on, not just yet, because then—

"Taylor?" a new voice broke the silence. It belonged to a woman standing in the doorway, tall and friendly-looking. She was tan, with thick brown hair that reached her shoulders and violet eyes. Her dress was maroon, long-sleeved, and trimmed in white at the shoulder.

The woman walked up to Akiza and Taylor, raising her eyebrow at the latter. "Taylor, what's going on? Why is she crying?" she asked.

Immediately, Akiza wiped her tears, trying to tuck what was left of her burgundy hair behind her ears. "Um, don't worry about me, m'am. I, um, I feel f-fine." she stammered, and felt her face growing hotter.

Taylor looked at Martha sheepishly. "I'm sorry Martha, but...we have a problem." the brunette gestured to Akiza's head, lightly touching it's singed ends.

Martha sighed, and shook her head. "I told them we needed them perfectly intact, and look what they did. I'm very sorry Miss Akiza, but I will fix this in a jiffy, don't you worry a bit."

She smiled at Akiza, and patted her shoulder gently. The woman then turned to the younger brunette.

"Take her to get cleaned up, dear. I'll be there soon." she said.

The maid nodded, gently taking Akiza by the arm and leading her out the door. They went down a large hall, blanketed by thick white carpet. It was lined with various images of teens, all smiling and laughing some even jumping on top of one another. The farther down they went, Akiza noticed, the more modern their clothes became.

Along the way, the two girls passed multiple rooms, some extravagantly furnished with bright, rich colors and filled with bustling workers, and others a bit more plain with only one of two people.

_Please, hallway, could you be any longer? _Akiza thought. It felt as though they'd been walking forever, and while Akiza was a quiet person, akward silences were not on her Top Ten Favorite Things list.

As a last resort, she tried to start a conversation.

"So," she began. "Why am I here again?"

Taylor's large chocolate eyes widened. "I—uh—asdjkl—you know what's really awesome? Coffee. My favorites are the macchiatos, but frappuccinos are pretty good too. The funny thing is, I can't stand hot coffee, only iced or blended. That's not weird, is it? Because—"

"You didn't answer my question."

_sigh. _"As much as I want to tell you, it's not my job. And it's not like you'd be getting a ton of information off of me anyways; I don't know a whole more than you do. All I can tell you is that you're special, and just remember that the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to stay calm. Trust me."

In Akiza's opinion, that really didn't help. In fact, it just left her with more questions than actual answers.

_Great._

Somewhere between the progression of slim jeans to skinnies, Taylor led Akiza into a large white room. A bathroom. Much like the room she'd woken up in, there were large windows on one wall, letting in the bright sun. They weren't curtained, however, and Akiza could see a clear blue sky above vast, green lawns. Sitting just under the windows was a claw-foot tub, filled with water that had bits of steam curling over it. Near it was an enormous table lined with multiple bottles of different colors and shapes and sizes, filled with who knows what kinds of substances.

To any other girl, this would have been the bathroom of her dreams, had it not been for the tens of other tubs lined up near it. They too were filled with water, and other girls. Maids also stood next to them, scrubbing and rinsing whoever was in the tub. They looked so busy; running around, grabbing different bottles, handing them over to others, getting towels, clothes, combs and brushes, the works. It vaguely reminded Akiza of the bathhouse in Spirited Away.

Taylor walked over to the one empty tub, signaling for the redhead to get in.

Akiza shook her head no. "I barely know you!" she hissed. "Plus, there's _people around._" she clutched her loose gray shirt tighter around herself.

"No one's looking! Hell, I'll even get a towel and hide you!"

"No!"

"_Do _it."

"I. Said. _No._"

"Listen, if you don't get in that tub—"

"I'm not getting in the tub!"

With that, the young, petite little brunette picked up Akiza with crazy strength, and threw her into the tub with a splash. The water spilled over the edges, coating the floor.

Akiza gasped and stood up, wiping the water from her eyes angrily. "What the hell was that!"

"I tried to warn you what would happen if you didn't just get in the damn tub, but you wouldn't listen!"

"I am going to kill you!"

The girls continued to scuffle, unaware of the confused, alarmed and amused stares they were recieving. Akiza jumped out of the tub, her clothes sopping wet with now cold water. She lunged at Taylor, pinning her to the ground.

"Get off me!" Taylor pushed her off. "This isn't supposed to be happening!"

Akiza rolled away a few feet. "Oh, and me getting naked and bathing in front a bunch of complete strangers is?!"

"I've been doing this for centuries, and you just _had _to be the first to give me problems!"

"Wait." the redhead stopped mid-lunge, a confused expression on her face. "Centuries? You don't even look my age!"

Taylor's face became red. She began to mutter under her breath about what something along the lines of opening her huge mouth and now she was gonna get it and what would her mother say for finally blowing this huge opportunity that only happened once in a generation.

Before she could say anything else, the room suddenly cleared out. Once again, Martha stood present in the doorway, this time smiling knowingly.

"Maybe it's time we do some explaining."

**.**

Somehow, Martha managed to coax Akiza into the newly-filled tub, under the sole condition there would be bubbles as to cover her form in the water.

Taylor was now silent, instead deciding to just hand Martha various bottles from the table. The first was tall and purple, filled with a sweet-smelling shampoo. Akiza wasn't quite sure what it was; citrus, maybe?

Martha massaged it into what was left of Akiza's hair, explaining as she did so.

"Every generation, we gather a group of people about your age called the Signers. They are the protectors of our land, with very special powers called Affinities. Your Affinity is decided with a test that changes every year, and then you work on focusing it to the point of mastery."

"Are—are you serious?" asked Akiza. She wiped the soap from her forehead before it got in her eyes.

"Well, that's the simplified version. Explaining all of it takes too much time; you'll figure it on your own as you go."

"How are the Signers chosen?"

"No one knows. An Affinity cannot be acquired, you're born like that. At the precise moment that an old Signer dies, a new one is born, just waiting to be called here."

Martha motioned for Akiza to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. The brown eyed girl did so, and resurfaced quickly to hear more.

"And this has been happening for centuries?"

"Yes. Many of the people living here in the Valley have been around for at least a hundred years. We age much differently here than in your world. I believe for every ten years you age, we age one."

"But what about Taylor? She said she's been doing this for centuries, but she should only be about a hundred seventy."

"Some people are chosen specifically for the purpose of helping each new generation of Signers achieve their goals. They must take their jobs seriously, for a single mistake could gravely endanger the Valley. They live much longer than other people, only aging about every hundred years."

This was marvelous to Akiza. Her entire life, she'd been born with powers she wasn't even aware of. Now, she was in this strange, but beautiful, place in order to learn more about herself.

Maybe...maybe this was where she truly belonged. Maybe she'd finally found her place in the world, where she didn't feel ogled all the time and would be regarded with a smile by others and maybe even have _friends._

Just maybe.

"Taylor dear, won't you go get the conditioner?" Martha asked kindly. The brunette nodded, leaving and quickly coming back with a short, baby pink bottle. Martha poured out its contents in her hand, running it through Akiza's hair. Then, out of nowhere, she pulled out a pair of scissors.

"You're not gonna cut my hair even more, are you?" Akiza inched to the other side of the tub.

The older woman laughed. "Of course not. It does need to be evened out a little, so just hold still for a second." she took a lock of hair, and began to snip.

Not ten minutes later, Akiza's hair had been trimmed, rinsed, and dried. Now she sat in front of a mirror, looking at her chin-grazing strands with surprise. It felt so new to her, having short hair. The last time she remembered having it this length was around five. The section in front had been kept long, but her bangs were now rolled up in a pin, sitting atop her head.

"You look so pretty!" chirped Taylor, fingering the silky strands. "Now all you need to do is get dressed!"

It was then that it occurred to Akiza that all she was wearing was a loose gray shirt and spandex. _Spandex._

_Why am I constantly getting caught being an idiot?_

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea." Akiza said. The three of them left the large bathroom, to another room. It was an orangey-pink in color, with clothes on mannequins all around.

Before Martha could make even the slightest motion, Taylor zoomed in front of them.

"Don't worry Martha, I'll handle this!" the teen began to swirl about the room, retrieving random articles of clothing from various mannequins.

She returned with what appeared to be a black minidress, a light green shirt, red duster, black stockings and black gloves. She presented them proudly to Akiza, telling her to try them on in a nearby changing room. The redhead obliged, stepping into the room and locking the door behind her.

Problems ensued quickly. The dress _was _a little too short, but that wasn't what made Akiza uncomfortable. It fit fine over her thighs and waist, not a problem. The only thing was that it sort of...

Sort of squished her boobs.

It wasn't like she _asked _for them or anything. They just sprouted when she hit eleven and kept on growing from there. By the time Akiza was old enough to get a learner's permit, her bra size was bigger than most mom's. Everything she wore had to be a size bigger, just so the stupid buttons would close. If anything, she hated them. She hated the stares, the snickers, the hushed conversations when she passed.

"Damn, did you see the rack on that chick?"

"You think they're fake?"

"I can't believe she doesn't tip over!"

And now, here they were, causing another problem. Just when she thought nothing else could go wrong in the place where she'd finally found a purpose, this happened.

"Taylor!" she hissed through a crack in the door. "Come here!"

The brunette rushed over in a heartbeat. "Yes?"

"Get me another size!"

"Why?"

"Do it!"

"But why?"

"It's too small!"

"Are you sure? I was positive the dress would fit you...ohhhhh." she chuckled a little. "Open the door, Akiza."

"Why?!"

"Trust me, just do it."

Unwillingly, Akiza opened the door to the dressing room just enough for Taylor to squeeze through. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking everywhere except at the maid. It seemed like no matter how shy Akiza was, Taylor just flat out didn't care. She uncrossed Akiza's arms, assessing the situation. The teen just rolled her eyes, half-smiling.

"You, my friend, truly are an anomaly. But don't worry, I'm a professional." carefully, she just pinched the top of the dress, pulling ever-so-slightly. Instantly the fabric stretched, allowing for Akiza's chest to have the perfect amount of room.

"How did you do that?" asked the redhead.

Taylor shrugged. "You pick up a trick or two over the years. Now hurry up and put everything else on; you have a party to attend."

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notes—**Were you guys expecting that? :P I've always had an interest in this idea, but never got around to writing it for real ^-^ Btw, I'm pretty sure you noticed Taylor from chap 1, and trust me when I say that was on purpose, and you'll find out why she's here later :D**

**Thanks for reading! Please review, and I hope you had a great holiday!**


	3. Paper Lanterns

**Naturally**

_Because every summer has a story._

i heart the sun

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disclaimer—**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is not mine.**

notes—**Hello! Time for another chapter! Thank you to Preaching Red for his review, and to Little FreakyO.o, Ankomith, and InStitches for your follows!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Being invisible had its perks.

No one really criticized you, or cared a whole lot about your clothes, hair or social status—since you had none. There wasn't such a thing as peer pressure, or even teasing. Honestly, that was just the way Akiza liked it. She was totally fine if no one cared—if anything, it was better because then she couldn't shame her family and ruin her father's image by being that typical rebellious daughter.

But then again, invisibility had some downfalls.

It wasn't like Akiza didn't have _any _friends; it was just an exclusive group. There was Reyna, Minako, Abby...

And Reyna and Minako and Abby.

They were perfectly nice girls, smart and well-dressed and pretty. Reyna had dark, straight, _long _hair, with eyes the color of a bruise; the absolute nicest girl. Minako was blonde and bubbly and friendly with everyone. There was something about her green eyes that seemed to attract every boy she met. Abby was the serious one, her short, caramel-colored hair messy and baby blue, no-nonsense eyes carefully analyzing everything.

They were definitely considered Akiza's 'friends', but the redhead just didn't trust them wholeheartedly like you do with real friends. If anything, they didn't know a whole about her at all. They knew her favorite color (red), favorite soda (orange), and favorite song (Marry the Night)—but they didn't know that when she couldn't concentrate on her homework she stretched; to her, the best way to read was upside down; or that not once during all of high school had she dropped below a 4.0 GPA.

They didn't know—wait. Sorry, she was getting off track.

Another thing about invisibility was that no one ever really invited you to parties. The obligatory birthdays had ended in seventh grade, and after that she was never asked to attend a birthday party, pool party, slumber party, and definitely no keggers. Therefore, she had no idea how parties really went down when everyone had actually gone through puberty.

Which is why she was currently hiding in a closet.

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**CHAPTER THREE  
**_Paper Lanterns_

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All it took was one peek at the people running around getting chairs, preparing tables of food and stringing lights everywhere, and Akiza was done-zo. She "eep!"ed, turned herself around and scurried back inside, Taylor right behind her. The nearest door the teen had seen was opened, and she locked it right behind her.

_knock knock. _"Akiza! C'mon, just open the door!" said Taylor on the other side.

"Uh-h!"

"You are making this a lot more difficult than it has to be!" the brunette prompted. Akiza heard a sigh, and then footsteps that seemed to be walking away.

_Phew, maybe now she'll leave me alone. They don't need me there_—_there'll be others. _thought the redhead, sitting on the floor of what she inferred was a coat closet as she wrapped her arms around her knees. Not five minutes passed when a noise was heard on the other side of the door.

It was a clicking sound, then that of the knob turning, and the door swung open, slightly grazing Akiza's toes.

"Get out." Taylor appeared to be chewing a large wad of gum as she stood in front of the girl on the floor, twirling a ring of keys on her finger. When Akiza shook her head, she leaned down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up with that ridiculous strength again.

"What is your problem? It's a _party_, for crying out loud. I've been to _tons _of them, and trust me when I say that nothing bad is going to happen to you, really. And don't tell me you wanna skip out, 'cause it's important that everyone be there." she admonished. Her lips curved into a smile, and she gently patted Akiza on the back.

"It's okay to be shy. When I was a kid, I was so shy I couldn't even talk to people, especially not one-on-one."

One of Akiza's (perfectly groomed) burgundy eyebrows rose up at the remark. "Really? What happened?"

"This." she pushed Akiza out the door, where the patio (and the party) was.

**.**

Why were there _so many people_? Yusei was starting to get headache. It really was a shame that he couldn't drink yet, or else he'd have some tequila in front of him.

Jack and Crow would not stop arguing the whole they'd been there, and three hours had already passed. It started the minute they found themselves with their noses buried in a plush white carpet, about how it was Crow's fault they were there, even though Jack actually pulled the string.

"Frickin' I told you Jack, that you shouldn't open the damn package, but _no, _you just had to pull off the string!"

"It's your fault for saying I should when I didn't even want to—"

"Actually," Yusei finally interjected, fed up with this completely pointless and _stupid _conversation. "I was the one who said not to open it. You, however, never listen to me."

The other two looked at Yusei like that was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard, and rolled their eyes. The raven could only sigh, and returned to his glass of lemon water. He tipped it up to his lips, taking a long, refreshing drink.

He wondered just how they _really_ ended up here anyway. There didn't seem to be any trace of New Domino—people here dressed very formally, like they were going to a dinner party or something. They certainly couldn't have come here by plane or public transportation, or else they would've noticed.

Could it have been magic? Yusei was always a very logical person who believed that just about any problem could be solved with either an equation or elbow grease. This, however, proved to be something that the raven just couldn't understand.

But then again, it could've been kidnap. Who knows what was in that box to make them black out, and what kind of people had brought them here. It wasn't like anyone ever explained a single thing. They just pulled them off the floor, got them cleaned and dressed, the brought them out here where a large group of people seemed to be waiting for them. They greeted Jack, Crow, and Yusei warmly, with hugs and starry eyes.

Just what was going on?

**.**

Good thing she didn't actually trip when Taylor shoved her. The second she appeared in front of all those people—many of which didn't seem to be older than her mom—they all turned to stare.

_Oh. My. _God, reverberated over and over in the redhead's mind. Akiza froze, offering a stiff smile and walking towards the only table with empty space. Three others already occupied it—a tall, blonde man arguing with a shorter ginger, and an exasperated-looking raven sipping a huge glass of water. She took the seat next to him.

Up close, Akiza noticed how nice his features were. Smooth, tan skin, sapphire-blue eyes lined ny thick lashes. His nose was the slightest bit pointed, setting off thin lips. Akiza's eyes traveled up to his wild, black hair, stuck up in various places. Yellow lines streaked it, vaguely reminding the teen of a road.

She felt so starstruck by his personality. He seemed so sure of himself, so confident, it was like he practically oozed it. Was that a thing? Oozing personality without meeting a person? Horoscopes and karma weren't really Akiza's thing, but this person kind of gave off a vibe. Right now though, he just seemed ready to down some rum and go to bed, or maybe even stab the guys next to him with that fork close to his hand.

Normally, Akiza wasn't into the whole idea of love at first sight, or love at all, but _dude._ She just couldn't take her eyes from him, except when his slid sideways and she had to look away in hopes he hadn't caught her staring. He didn't seem to mind however, and turned to fully face her.

_Oh my God._

Can people be perfect? His face was even more stunning than his profile let on, only giving half the effect of those blue eyes. The only thing that seemed flawed about his appearance was that tattoo running down the left side of his face, just under the eye.

"Hi," he said, smiling out of the corner of his mouth.

The words caught in Akiza's throat, and she made a weird squeak. "Hi."

"Would you happen to know what's going on?"

The teen shook her head, glad to know someone was just as lost as she was.

"Oh." he looked disappointed for a second, before letting the smile spread farther on his lips and extending his hand to Akiza. "I'm Yusei, by the way."

She took his hand in response. "I'm Akiza." Even after the initial introduction, the two continued to hold hands.

_Let go let go let go letgoletgoletgoletgo_—

"Who're you?" The orange haired man sitting near Yusei turned around, eyeing Akiza curiously. He seemed to be deciding whether or not he should introduce himself in a friendly manner. _Don't waste your time, _Akiza thought. However, his lips pulled back into a huge, toothy smile, and he too held out his hand to shake Akiza's.

When she tried to take it, he didn't grip it the way someone normally would. Instead, he slapped it, curling his own hand into a fist.

_He's one of those people. _it occurred to Akiza. _Of course._

Determined to make a better impression on this guy than she probably did on Yusei, Akiza too fisted her hand, bumping her knuckles with the guy.

"Sup? M'name's Crow!"

"I-I'm Akiza."

"Hey, Jack!" Crow slapped the one in white on the shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"What the hell do you want."

"Well don't be a jerk! That's Akiza," he pointed to her. "Introduce yourself."

"You already did that."

"Ohhhhh myGod, just do it, won't you?"

"Fine." Jack's purple eyes settled on Akiza. He looked her up and down quickly, raising an eyebrow at the fact that she seemed to shy away from them. "Hello. I assume you know my name."

The girl nodded, knowing that the situation went both ways.

"...Alrighty, this is where you're supposed to be sitting." the voice of Taylor drifted over to them, as she approached the table with two green-haired children in tow. One had two pigtails perched on top of her head, near the front, while the other's hair was pulled into one thick ponytail.

The one with pigtails seemed a little alarmed at the older people sitting at the table they were assigned. She waved timidly, her other hand up to her mouth as she bit her fingernail.

"Yo!" the ponytailed of the two smiled, waving enthusiastically at the group of young adults.

Taylor grinned, resting her head on the energetic child. "This is Leo, and that is Luna. Be nice, 'kay?" she looked at Jack and Crow at the last part, before leaving. Almost immediately, Leo sat down between Crow and Yusei, and began to chat their ears off. Luna was a bit more cautious, quietly taking a seat next to Akiza.

"Hi there," offered the redhead, giving her a small grin. "So you're Luna?"

"Mmhmm." she answered, still biting the nail of her thumb. "What's your name?"

"My name's Akiza, it's nice to meet you." Although she wasn't a fan of people her age or older, there was something about kids Akiza always liked. Maybe it was their quiet innocence, they way things always seemed new for them. She liked the way that they always saw the optimism in things, as opposed to the cynical views of the real world.

"Nice to meet you too." What a polite kid. Clearly she was taught manners from a very young age, obviously the whole don't-talk-to-strangers-say-please-and-thank-you-make-eye-contact-and-respect-your-elders-routine.

Just before another word could escape her mouth, everyone became quiet. Akiza followed their gaze to the front of the area, on the patio-thing. There, stood a woman of incredible beauty. Locks of golden silk cascaded down her shoulders, falling into soft waves. Her eyes were gray-blue, carefully assessing every person before her. Being so close to her, Akiza could see her heart-shaped face was so delicately formed, like porcelain, making nearly impossible to ever guess just how old she was.

The woman walked slightly closer to those sitting, her baby-pink dress shimmering. It was cut low enough for some people to be iffy about wearing it, but on this woman, it seemed so effortless, so classy. Beginning at the left hip, the skirt of the dress ruffled all the way down to the floor.

If Akiza was speechless upon meeting the presence of Yusei, she would have been floored by this woman. With her simple arrival, the entire room had become silent, almost as if they held their breath.

"Thank you." she said. "As I'm sure you know, with the departure of our past Signers comes the new generation. Yes, it is that time of year again**—**the welcome ceremony! If you would all please be so kind as to welcome our new Signers!"

She held out her hand towards the table where Akiza, Crow, Jack, Leo, Luna, and Yusei were sitting, and many pairs of eyes followed it, settling on the young adults. Feeling that familiar paralysis when it came to stares, Akiza's brown eyes widened. She gripped the edge of the table, unsure of what to do.

A nudge pressed into her side. She turned her gae, seeing Yusei stand up. He adjusted his blue jacket, underneath which was a high-necked black shirt, printed with a red design. On the jacket's shoulders were two orange gems, as well on the lapels and the knees of his jeans. It was closely fitted, showing his slim waist and making Akiza find him more attractive.

_Damn._

Calmly, Yusei walked up to the woman, trailed by Jack and Crow. The three of them looked like such a team together. Akiza pulled some air into her lungs, slowly making her way to the front with the younger (what she assumed to be ) twins.

They stood on either side of her, facing the large group of people.

"Hello, my dears." the woman said. "I don't believe we've met. Formally, I am known as Queen Lisette Celine Dior LeBlanc, but there is no need for such a title. To you, I am very simply Lisette." her smile was warm and gentle.

She pulled each of them into a hug, and when it was Akiza's turn, she caught a whiff of chamomile. Instantly she felt her nerves relax, her body become languid. After Lisette pulled away, Akiza's eyes continued to rest on her face. There was some kind of enchanting quality about it, an effect that mesmerized you.

"You needn't worry about your names, I already know. Now, onto the best part; let the festivities begin!"

Instantly people began to speak again, getting up to gather food and drinks. The lights, shaped like paper lanterns, glowed in bright blue, pink, and orange, strung both on poles and around the white-clothed tables. Paper lanterns were one of Akiza's favorite things. As a little girl, before her father became too busy for her, she used to hang them in every part of her house, even outside. Come nightfall, the two would turn them on, sitting on a hammock as her father told Akiza stories.

The teen took a plate, walking to the tables piled with food and placing a few california rolls on it. Sushi was always a comfort food for Akiza, because it wasn't too heavy, but it still somehow managed to fill you up. Some mochi balls accompanied the rolls, as did a tuna roll and some soy sauce.

She balanced the plate on her hand, absently returning to her table. It didn't occur to her that not paying attention had a very similar result in this situation as it did in a high school cafeteria. Halfway between where the sushi was and where she sat, the redhead never noticed someone, also distracted, walking in her direction.

In a millisecond her plate was on her chest. Rice and seafood dropped down her top, soy sauce dripping on her collarbone. By itself, this wouldn't have been as bad, had it not been for the fact that the other person's food was also all over her.

_You've got to be kidding me._

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notes**—Sorry I didn't update this too quickly :P Finals were last week, so I had pretty much no time for life XD Hopefully this was a good enough chapter for you lovely readers, and I would like ever so much if you pretty please review, please? X3**

**Mucho love!**


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